There’s a mighty old oak on the corner of Zeeb and Joy in Ann Arbor. I visited it many times during my grad school days. And I became rather fond of it over time. To say that grad school was a difficult time is an understatement. Experiments failed, progress on my doctorate in biochemistry was […]
“We are not just a skin-encapsulated ego, a soul encased in flesh. We are each other and we are the world.” – Charles Eisenstein Interbeing is the understanding that nothing exists separately from anything else. We are all interconnected. By taking care of another person, you take care of yourself. By taking care of yourself, […]
“We are fellow-helpers with God, co-creators in everything we do. When Word and work are returned to their source and origin, all work is accomplished divinely in God. And there too the soul loses itself in a wonderful enchantment.” – Meister Eckhart A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic […]
Life offers its wisdom generously. Everything teaches. Not everyone learns. Life asks of us the same thing we have been asked in every class: “Stay awake.” “Pay attention.” But paying attention is no simple matter. It requires us not to be distracted by expectations, past experiences, labels, and masks. It asks that we not jump […]
“The Noble Truth of suffering (dukkha) is this: Birth is suffering; aging is suffering; sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering; association with the unpleasant is suffering – in brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering.” – Shakyamuni Buddha Meditation on the Self I have sensations, […]
When, through [practice], the mind ceases its restless movements, and becomes still, one realizes the Self, It satisfies one entirely. Then one knows that infinite happiness which can be realized by the purified heart but is beyond the grasp of the senses. – The Bhagavad Gita “His disciples said to him, ‘When will the […]
Day by day, Dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, Follow thee more nearly, Day by day. – Day by Day, from Godspell Where do you find your spiritual life? Are you seeking understanding and knowledge? Are you more into loving Spirit in all its manifestations? […]
“I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am!” – Paul in Romans 7: 22-24 “Although [one] has awakened […]
“When we were one or two years old we had what we might visualize as a 360-degree personality. Energy radiated out from all parts of our body and all parts of our psyche. A child running is a living globe of energy. We had a ball of energy, all right: but one day we noticed […]
I spend a lot of time in silent meditation during my sessions with people. Many sessions begin with a few minutes of shared silence. Other times, we might spend up to half the session in meditation. Sharing silence in this way creates a beautiful intimacy in the session, but as I am writing this morning […]